Automatic faucet

ABSTRACT

An automatic faucet according to the present invention includes a holding portion ( 6 ) which holds a water discharge head ( 3 ) by fitting a rear end side ( 3   b ) of the water discharge head ( 3 ) to the support body ( 1 ) to be detachable and be capable of being drawn out therefrom and a guide portion ( 8 ) which protrudes forward in a drawing out direction (T 1 ) of the water discharge head ( 3 ) and engages when the drawn-out water discharge head ( 3 ) is returned to a distal end side of the support body ( 1 ) to guide the water discharge head ( 3 ) in a direction along the drawing out direction (T 1 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an automatic faucet. Priority isclaimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-171227, filed on Aug.31, 2015, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, automatic faucets (automatic faucet devices) have beenused for kitchen counters, toilets, sink dressers in washrooms, or thelike. Automatic faucets are configured to automatically discharge waterwhen a detection sensor (sensor portion) such as infrared sensors,photoelectric sensors, radio wave sensors, or the like detect an objectsuch as a hand and automatically stop water when the object is removedfrom the detection region of the detection sensor.

The automatic faucets described above are provided with a waterdischarge portion including, for example, a support body whose proximalend is fixed to a top plate or the like of a kitchen counter or a sinkdresser and protruding from the top plate, and a head portion having awater discharge port for discharging water, disposed on a distal endside of the support body, and provided to be detachable and able to bedrawn out from the support body, wherein a detection sensor is providedon the support body of the water discharge portion in some cases (forexample, refer to Patent Literature 1). According to the above-describedconfiguration, when an object to be detected such as a hand is disposedon the water discharge port side, a detection sensor provided on thesupport body detects the object to be detected and water isautomatically discharged from the water discharge portion.

An automatic faucet disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is arranged suchthat a detection sensor portion overlaps a rear end portion in a drawingout direction of a water discharge head in a state of being held by thesupport body in a plan view. In addition, the automatic faucet disclosedin Patent Literature 1 is configured such that, in a state in which thedrawn-out head portion is returned to an original position and is heldby the support body, the support body and the water discharge head areintegrated to have a good appearance.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature [Patent Literature 1]

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No.2015-105517

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, in the above-described conventional automatic faucets, a sensorportion (detection sensor) is disposed above or in front (on a userside) of a water discharge head to constitute the water dischargeportion. In this configuration, the water discharge head is returned toa support body, it is conceivable that a user's hand may cover thesensor portion, a portion to which the water discharge head is attached(that is, a distal end of the support body) may be difficult to see, andit may be difficult for the water discharge head to be returned to thesupport body.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automaticfaucet capable of enhancing operability when a water discharge head isattached to and detached from a support body, particularly capable ofsignificantly enhancing operability when the water discharge head isreturned to the support body and attached to the support body.

Solution to Problem

An automatic faucet according to the present invention includes asupport body fixed at a rear end side to protrude therefrom, a waterdischarge head provided by connecting a hose and supported by a distalend side of the support body to be detachable and be capable of beingdrawn out, and a sensor portion provided on a distal end side of thesupport body above or in front of the water discharge head to overlapthe water discharge head in a vertical direction or a forward andbackward direction. The automatic faucet further includes a holdingportion which holds the water discharge head by fitting a rear end sideof the water discharge head to the support body to be detachable and becapable of being drawn out, and a guide portion which protrudes forwardin a drawing out direction of the water discharge head, engages with thewater discharge head when the drawn-out water discharge head is returnedto the distal end side of the support body, and guides the waterdischarge head in a direction along the drawing out direction.

Here, a meaning of “above or in front of” in the present inventionincludes obliquely above and in front thereof.

In addition, in the automatic faucet of the present invention, it ispreferable that the guide portion is provided to be continuous with thesensor portion and the holding portion.

Further, in the automatic faucet of the present invention, it is morepreferable to include an inclined portion provided on a distal end sidein the drawing out direction of the guide portion. The distal end sideis more preferable to be formed in a pointed shape.

Advantageous Effects of the Invention

In the automatic faucet according to the present invention, it ispossible to enhance operability when attaching and detaching the waterdischarge head of the water discharge portion to and from the supportbody, and particularly to significantly enhance operability when thewater discharge head is returned to the support body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a sink dresser.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a water discharge portion ofan automatic faucet according to one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the water discharge portion ofthe automatic faucet according to one embodiment of the presentinvention and is a view illustrating a state in which a water dischargehead is drawn out from a support body.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in a direction of the line of the arrowX1-X1 illustrated in FIG. 3, and is a cross-sectional view illustratingthe water discharge portion of the automatic faucet according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a sensor portion and thesupport body of the water discharge portion of the automatic faucetaccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view in a direction of the line of the arrowX2-X2 in FIG. 3, and is a view illustrating a guide portion of theautomatic faucet according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, an automatic faucetaccording to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2 to 4, an automatic faucet A of thepresent embodiment is provided, for example, in a sink dresser B, andincludes a support body 1 and a water discharge port 2. The automaticfaucet A includes a water discharge portion 4 constituted with a waterdischarge head 3 disposed on a distal end side of the support body 1 anddetachably attached to and provided to be capable of being drawn outfrom the support body 1.

In the present embodiment, the support table 1 is fixed to a cabinet ofthe sink dresser B, an upright wall surface of a washbowl, or the liketo protrude therefrom. The water discharge portion 4 (automatic faucetA) is installed to protrude obliquely downward.

The water discharge portion 4 of the present embodiment is provided onthe distal end side of the support body 1. The water discharge portion 4is configured to integrally include a sensor portion 5 having adetection sensor 5 a and the support body 1. The water discharge portion4 automatically discharges water when an object such as a hand isdetected by the detection sensor 5 a (sensor portion 5) andautomatically stops water when the object is removed from a detectionrange of the detection sensor 5 a.

The automatic faucet A is configured so that it can also be used as amanual faucet by manipulating a manual operation portion when it isdesired to continue to discharge water for a long periods of time, forexample, such as when drawing water is performed.

In the present embodiment, the sensor portion 5 is provided above (or infront of) the water discharge head 3 in a state of being held by thesupport body 1 and is provided to overlap the water discharge head 3 ina vertical direction (or in a forward and backward direction). Thesensor portion 5 and the water discharge head 3 are each formed to havea substantially semicircular cross section. The sensor portion 5 and thewater discharge head 3 are configured such that a distal end portion ofthe water discharge portion 4 in which the sensor portion 5 and thewater discharge head 3 are combined has a substantially columnar shapein a state in which the water discharge head 3 is held such that thesensor portion 5 and the water discharge head 3 overlap each other and aplanar lower surface 5 b of the sensor portion 5 and a planar uppersurface 3 a of the water discharge head 3 make planar contact and faceeach other.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6, a cylindrical holding portion 6protruding to a side in front in a drawing out direction T1 of the waterdischarge head 3 is provided on a front surface la of the support body 1which is laterally in contact with a rear end surface 3 b of the waterdischarge head 3 and facing the rear end surface 3 b. When a hose(flexible pipe) 7 is inserted into the holding portion 6 and freelymoves forward and backward and a distal end of the hose 7 is connectedto the water discharge head 3, the water discharge head 3 is capable ofdischarging water and being drawn out.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, a recessed fitting hole 3 c is formed in therear end surface 3 b of the water discharge head 3. When the waterdischarge head 3 drawn out from the support body 1 returns to thesupport body 1, by fitting the holding portion 6 into the fitting hole 3c, the water discharge head 3 is configured to be detachably attached toand held by the support body 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a guide portion 8 that is formed in a plateshape and extends forward in the drawing out direction T1 from the frontsurface la of the support body 1 is provided in the automatic faucet Aof the present embodiment. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a guiderecess portion 9 which is recessed forward in the drawing out directionT1 from the rear end surface is provided in the water discharge head 3.

Further, in the present embodiment, the guide portion 8 is providedbetween the sensor portion 5 and the holding portion 6. As illustratedin FIG. 5, a lower end of the guide portion 8 is connected to an upperportion of the holding portion 6. The guide portion 8 protrudes upwardfrom the holding portion 6. An upper end of the guide portion 8 isconnected to a planar lower surface 5 b of the sensor portion 5. Thatis, the guide portion 8 is integrally continuous with the sensor portion5 and the holding portion 6.

Also, a substantially triangular notch is provided on a distal end sidein an extending direction of the guide portion 8 along the drawing outdirection T1. By providing this notch, an inclined portion 8 a isprovided on the distal end side in the extending direction of the guideportion 8. A lower end of the inclined portion 8 a approaches an upperend side from a rear end side of the inclined portion 8 a toward thedistal end thereof. In other words, the guide portion 8 is formed with apointed portion 8 b on the distal end side. A height dimension of thepointed portion 8 b gradually decreases from a rear end side toward adistal end. A contact point between the guide portion 8 and the lowersurface 5 b of the sensor portion 5 which corresponds to the distal endof the pointed portion 8 b of the guide portion 8 is disposed at aposition on the front side in the drawing out direction T1 behind adistal end of the holding portion 6.

In the automatic faucet A of the present embodiment having theabove-described configuration, the guide portion 8 is provided on thedistal end side of the support body 1 and the guide recess portion 9 isprovided in the water discharge head 3. According to theseconfigurations, when the water discharge head 3 is returned from adrawn-out state to an original state, since the holding portion 6 isfitted in the fitting hole 3 c of the water discharge head 3 and aposition or orientation of the water discharge head 3 is adjusted bymanipulation of rotating the water discharge head 3 around an axisthereof, or the like, it is possible to easily engage the guide portion8 with the guide recess portion 9.

As described above, the guide recess portion 9 engages with the guideportion 8, and thereby the water discharge head 3 is guided in theforward and backward direction along the drawing out direction T1. Thatis, the water discharge head 3 is guided such that an axial direction ofthe water discharge head 3 is aligned with the drawing out direction T1.Therefore, the water discharge head 3 can be accommodated in itsoriginal position while suitably fitting to the holding portion 6.

In addition, since the pointed portion 8 b (inclined portion 8 a) isformed on a distal end side of the guide portion 8, even when the waterdischarge head 3 is somewhat inclined with respect to the guide portion8, a position or orientation of the water discharge head 3 is adjustedby a manipulation of rotating the water discharge head 3 around theaxis, or the like, and thereby it is possible to easily engage thepointed portion 8 b of the guide portion 8 with the guide recess portion9. When the water discharge head 3 is fitted into the holding portion 6in a state in which the pointed portion 8 b is engaged with the guiderecess portion 9, since the position or orientation of the waterdischarge head 3 is guided by the guide portion 8, the water dischargehead 3 is automatically guided to a predetermined installation state(that is, holding state). Therefore, operability in an accommodatingoperation of the water discharge head 3 can be further enhanced.

According to the automatic faucet A of the present embodiment, even whenthe sensor portion 5 is disposed to overlap (above or in front of) thewater discharge head 3 and the holding portion 6 becomes difficult tosee, it is possible to easily perform the operation of accommodating thewater discharge head 3 due to the guide portion 8 and the guide recessportion 9 being provided. That is, according to the automatic faucet Aof the present embodiment, it is possible to enhance operability whenattaching and detaching the water discharge head 3 to and from thesupport body 1, particularly to significantly enhance operability whenthe water discharge head 3 is returned to the support body 1.

In addition, in the automatic faucet A of the present embodiment, inaddition to the fitting hole 3 c of the water discharge head 3 beingfitted in the holding portion 6, since the guide recess portion 9 of thewater discharge head 3 engages with the guide portion 8 to beaccommodated and held, rattling of the water discharge head 3 in a stateof being held by the support body 1 cannot easily occur.

Further, in the automatic faucet A of the present embodiment, since theguide portion 8 is continuous with the sensor portion 5 and the holdingportion 6, as illustrated in FIG. 3, when the water discharge head 3 isdrawn out from the support body 1, it is possible to support the sensorportion 5 which is cantilevered while protruding from the support body 1by the guide portion 8 and the holding portion 6. Thereby, a reinforcingeffect of the sensor portion 5 due to the guide portion 8 and theholding portion 6 can be obtained. In particular, when the sensorportion 5 and the support body 1 are formed of resin, theabove-described reinforcing effect is effective.

While one embodiment of the automatic faucet according to the presentinvention has been described above, the present invention is not limitedto the above-described one embodiment, and can be modified appropriatelywithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, although the shape of theautomatic faucet A is illustrated and described as being a linear shape,the shape of the automatic faucet A may be a shape different from alinear shape such as a gooseneck shape or the like. Also in this case,regarding the side fixed to a counter, a wall, or the like as the rearend side and regarding the side with a water discharge port as thedistal end side, the above-described details may be employed.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1: Support body

1 a: Front surface

2: Water discharge port

3: Water discharge head

3 a: Upper surface

3 b: Rear end surface

3 c: Fitting hole

4: Water discharge portion

5: Sensor portion

5 a: Detection sensor

5 b: Lower surface

6: Holding portion

7: Hose

8: Guide portion

8 a: Inclined portion

8 b: Pointed portion

9: Guide recess portion

A: Automatic faucet

B: Sink dresser

T1: Drawing out direction

1. An automatic faucet comprising: a support body; a water dischargehead provided by connecting a hose and supported at a distal end side ofthe support body to be detachable and be capable of being drawn out; asensor portion provided on the distal end side of the support body andprovided above or in front of the water discharge head, to overlap thewater discharge head in a vertical direction or a forward and backwarddirection, a holding portion which holds the water discharge head byfitting a proximal end side of the water discharge head to the supportbody to be detachable and be capable of being drawn out therefrom; and aguide portion which protrudes forward in a drawing out direction of thewater discharge head, engages with the water discharge head when thewater discharge head drawn out is returned to the distal end side of thesupport body, and guides the water discharge head along the drawing outdirection.
 2. The automatic faucet according to claim 1, wherein theguide portion is provided to be continuous with the sensor portion andthe holding portion.
 3. The automatic faucet according to claim 1,further comprising an inclined portion provided on a distal end side ofthe drawing out direction of the guide portion, wherein the distal endside of the guide portion is formed in a pointed shape.
 4. The automaticfaucet according to claim 2, further comprising an inclined portionprovided on a distal end side of the drawing out direction of the guideportion, wherein the distal end side of the guide portion is formed in apointed shape.
 5. The automatic faucet according to claim 1, wherein: aguide recess portion which engages with the guide portion is provided inthe water discharge head.
 6. The automatic faucet according to claim 2,wherein: a contact point between the guide portion and the sensorportion which corresponds to the distal end of the guide portion isdisposed at a position on the front side in the drawing out directionbehind a distal end of the holding portion.